An audit of the city’s troubled Toronto Community Housing agency – likely to be made public next month – is expected to shake up the arm’s-length agency.

By:Jayme Poisson and David RiderStaff Reporters, Published on Mon Feb 21 2011

Toronto’s auditor general is expected to issue next month a scathing audit of the city agency that manages social housing.

Two sources familiar with Jeffrey Griffiths’ probe of Toronto Community Housing Corp. refused to divulge details but said it will shake up the arm’s-length agency still recovering from a probe into the death of elderly tenant Al Gosling.

Mayor Rob Ford’s office has been briefed on some of the findings.

Ford was strongly critical of TCHC during last year’s election campaign, singling out the condition of the units and management practices. He has said he would like to abolish the agency and replace it with rent subsidies to low-income Torontonians, who would live in privately owned units, but it wasn’t official campaign policy.

“I think it’s going to be a very interesting report when it’s made public. And I think there’s some activities there that have been going on that maybe shouldn’t have,” said deputy mayor Doug Holyday.

Reached on Monday, Griffiths said he could not elaborate until his report is made public. The beginnings of the audit date back to June and July, “Prior to this term of council,” he said.

As for its scope, a public document outlining the auditor general’s 2011 work plan, which will be presented to the city’s audit committee Tuesday, cites procurement processes — like purchasing materials and supplies — as the focus of an audit last year.

In addition to a report on procurement processes, Griffiths said another report will be released, but would not reveal its focus.

The TCHC would not elaborate either, but spokesman Kyle Rooks wrote in an email that the agency anticipates the report will be released at their next board meeting, on March 24.

However councillor Shelley Carroll, a member of the city’s audit committee who has yet to see the report, has learned it has two parts — one relating to TCHC’s procurement procedures, the other dealing with “expense improprieties.”

Carroll said the report apparently paints an unflattering picture, and added that the housing agency’s board of directors shouldn’t wait until its March 24 meeting to deal with the matter.

“This is a serious issue ... If the board I was chairing had a damning auditor’s report I’d call a special meeting. I’d want to ensure the matter was dealt with quickly,” Carroll said Monday.

The agency — one of the largest residential landlords in North America — has come under fire in recent years. In October of 2009, Gosling, a pensioner on a fixed income, died from a bug caught in a Toronto shelter. The 82-year-old had been evicted from his community housing building after failing to provide documents showing he needed rent subsidies.

Former chief justice Patrick Lesage, asked by TCHC to look into the senior’s eviction, and subsequent death, criticized the agency for a “heavy-handed” approach to arrears collection and recommended mandatory face-to-face contact before taking steps to evict tenants.

In December, the housing agency was blasted by legal aid lawyers who said their compensation package for tenants evacuated from 200 Wellesley St. E during September’s six-alarm fire was “inconsiderate” and taking advantage of “desperate” tenants.

All this comes at a time when Mayor Rob Ford is looking to siphon the gravy from city coffers.

“I think from a general perspective, Toronto Community Housing needs a good going over,” said councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, who has yet to see the report.

“(The Ford administration) is in the process of following the completion of the budget process and doing program reviews of various departments and agencies, and I would hope Toronto Community Housing would be high on that list.”

With files from Donovan Vincent

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